Mail catching and delivering device.



G. R. HELTON.

MAIL CATGHlNG AND DBLIVERING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 0OT.29. 1912.

1 ,072,454. Patented' sept. 9, 1913.

62X) ih www parts in the position after the reception of 'Un'rrnn sri-earns Parana einen.

GUY R. HELTON, OF ELIVIEI, MISSOURI.

MAIL CATCHING AND :DEI'JIVEIlIhTGr DEVICE.

4To all 'whom if may concer/L.'

Be it known `that I, GUY R. HELToN, a citizen` of the United States, residing at Elmer, in the county of Macon and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail Catching and Deliver ing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail catching and delivering devices.

One object of my invention is to provide a hook or equivalent device which is normally projected from a mail car which will engage a mail bag and by such engagement be automatically operated so as to deliver the bag to a point adjacent the car door.

1Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the hook member` employedwill be closed upon the engagement. of a mail bag therewith.

Still another object of the invention is to provide suitable latch mechanism for maintaining the catch member projected which will be operated by a received mail bag to unlatch the member to permit it to move toward the car. l

Other objects of the invention reside in the provision of the several novel operating parts hereinafter' described taken in connection with drawings accompanying this applicatiomillustrating the preferred embodilm'ent'of the invention, and wherein L Fignrel 1s a plan View partly broken 'laway illustrating my improvements in connection with the side of a car, the parts being 1n positlon preparatory to receiving a mail bag. lFig. 2 1s a view illustrating the a mail bag, the mail bag being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is an 'end view, part of the swinging hook member `being broken away for the sake of clearness. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the attaching plates employed.

In the several views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts.

ltlfrring specifically to the drawings, 1

designates the side of a car such as a mail' car and 2 designates the doorway thereof. To the side of the car is attached in any preferred manner a plate 3 to which is attached a plate preferablyby means 'of a dove tail 5 engaging a correspondingly shaped slot in the plate 3, the plate 3 being provided Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 29, 1912.

provided with an ripening 11.

vhollow portion are fastene Patented Sept. 9, 1 91 3. Serial No. 728,453.

l with a tongue or projection 6 to prevent dov. nward movement of the plate 4 beyond the desired extent. Screws 7 may also be employed to secure the plates 3 andi together and to the ear. ,To the plate 4 is suitably attached a bracket 8 provided with angle members 9 and 10. Said member is channeled in cross section as shown and is To the bracket 8 preferably-adjacent the center thereof is pivoted on a pin or the.like 12, a mail bag receiving member 13, said mem- `bervhaving a projected part 14 which extends through'and beyond the opening 11 and thereat connected to a suitable 15, in turn fastened at 1G to the plate 4.

In Fig. 1 the delivering hook member is shown in position ready to receive the mail bag and to maintain this hook member in such position, means preferably as follows is` provided. ,From the portion 10, of bracket 8 projects inwardlythrough an opening 17 in said hook member 13, a keeper lug 18 having a, notch to be engaged by a latch -rod 19. "he hook member 13 is mostly hollow as shown in the drawin s. lnsaid d rigidly, disks or guide members 20 through which the latch rod 19 slides and is mounted. Intermediate the guide plates 20 and surrounding the latch rod 19 is a coil spring 21 which 4bears against.' a pin 22 on the rod and by such engagement normally maintains the rod i-n engagement with the keeper 18. The hook proper of'the receiving hook member is designated 23 and mounted to operate in the opening thereof is a latch operating lever 24, `pivoted to the latch rod at 25 and piv oted to the member 13 at 26.

eans is provided to lclose the hook member after 'the reception of a mail bag and such means is preferably as follows: A hookl closing arm is provided and designated 27, bein `pivoted at 28 to the hook member 13. aid arm is connected to a spring 29, in turn connected to the member 13, having a tendency to press the closin arm 27 into` closingl position. ,The numera 30 designates a r'n1a1l bag engaging hook member which is pivoted at 31 tothe member 13. The elosingarm 27 is notched at n j 32 where 1t 1s engaged by an arm 33 of the mail bag engaging` yhook member 30 and normally maintained' in open position by such' engagement. n lent spring 34 is fastened to the hook' 23 and also to the latch operating lever 24 and member 30, normally maintainingfthem in positiontd be operated by a mailbag. It is to be noticed'that the lever 24 is provided with a hook as at 35 which projects forwardly beyond fthe hook member 30, so that as a mail bag is received, fthe hook 3d will be acted against before the member 30 is acted against thereby.- f

Inorder to return the member 13 to projecting position after the delivery of a inail bag, suitable means 'is provided which may 'be as follows: 36 designates an eyelet at- Y 'taehed to the .member 13, to which eyelet is attached a flexible cord 37 which prefer- 15 ably passes through an eyel'et 38 provided on 'the portion 1.0 of bracket 8. Said cord 37 preferably leads ,to the doorway 2 and `is preferably Afastened at an adjacent point. In operation the mail bag to'be caught is supported from a'suitable part'so'that as the car 1 travels, the mail bag or more specifically a ring or loop thereon will be engaged by thehook 23. Such bag after engagement withthe hook 23 will move 'into 25 engag entwith v the. hook 35, thereby shiftin fthe'latch rod 19. and vdisengaging it from the -keeper 18, whereupon the member 13 swings .around through the mediumv of the .spring 15 toward -the doorway 2.'-

After the engagement with the hook 35,7the mail bag moves against the hook member'30, tilting the same land vreleasing the locking -arm 27, whichthrough the medium'of-.its spring y29, moves to locking position, as

i sliown in Fig..2.'j-1t Awill be seen that the arm 27 effectively closes the hook so as to prevent disengagement of the 'bag therefrom.

It will be seen, that the action of the several parts is 4automatic upon the engagement 40 of a mail bag with the several'hooks. It will be stated that v.theaelosing arm 27 may be manually returned to Athe position shown in Fig. 1 andduring such movement willl automatically engage with the member -30 and automatically be set in'open position. Upon the cqomrd 37 being pulled, itis obvious that. the hook member 13 lwillvbe relurned to projecting position and that during moves ment thereto, the. latch rod 19 will engage I 5.0 and 'automatically lock withl the." keeper. 1,8,

' thereby position. y

. From theA foregoing, itis thought to be apparent that-'I .have l provided an effective device for'- the purpose stated which will vhandle the mail' fja' s without injury and a device vwhiali will be ighly effective in operamaintaining the member in such and installed at a small cost.,v p .v Changes in] the detailsk of construction if tion, and one which may be manufactured 'j course may suggest themselves and 'siil changes, provide thefallfwitli the spirit orv scipe. ofthe appended-claims, are re serve what'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a, device of the class described, a bracket, A.amail-bag receiving member pivoted to-said bracket, spring means connected tosaid member, a keeper on said bracket, a latch rod engaging said keeper, spring means Vto maintain said rod in engagement with said keeper, a lever pivoted to said rod and to said receiving member, operable through'engagement with a mail bag.

42. I n a device of the class described, a bracket, a mail bag receiving member pivoted to said bracket, spring means connected to said member, said member having hollow portion, a keeper on said bracket projecting into said hollow portion, a latch rodengaging said keeper, guide plates in said hollow prtion for said latch rod, a spring for said rod lmounted intermediate said plates, a lever pivoted to said rod, said lever also pivoted to said receiving member,

spring means tomaintain saidrod in engagement with the keeper, said. lever operable through engagement with a mail bag.

3. In a device of the classdescribed, a mail bag receiving member, a closing member, a pivoted member' maintaining said' closing vmember open, spring means for said closing member, latchmeans, anl actuating lever for said latchmeans, saidoperating leverwh .thels 1d? pivoted member, and both of said aving a: portion. projecting beyond latten' "nembers operable through engagement `with a mail bag.-l

4.*'7In a device of the character described,

a pivotally supported hookshaped mail bag receiving. member, spring. means for retaininv said member inoperative position, a loc zing arm pivotally secured to the said receiving member, spring means to throw the said arm intolocking position, a pivoted hook shaped member `disposedfor engagement with said arin, the,said hook shaped memberadapted to be actuated through en-` gagement with a mail bagfor releasing the locking arm and. fastening the mail bag1 over the said receiving member.

. 5. A device of thecharacter described including a base plate, a plate member detachably secured to the saidbase plate, a4 bracket formed integrally withthe said plate manl ber, the` said Vbracket havin 'an extension projectingoutwa-rdly fromt e facethereof,

a hook `shaped mail bag receiving member pivotally secured to the said bracket,"v spring means carried -by the said Aplate lmember ladapted to engage the l'said' receiving member for retaining the latterin projected op stative position, the movement of the. said receiving member being .limited k1n one .di-

`rectionl by engagement with thefsaid bracket extension, a locking arm, spring'wmeans to I n i y p d u throw said arm into locking positioiiianda 65 Havmgthusdescribed my said invention,

pivoted member to maintain lsaidgrnrni.-j

open position, the said member being actuated through movement of a mail bag.`

6. A device of the character described, including a pivotally supported hook shaped mail bag receiving member, spring means to retain said member in projected operative position, a locking arm pivotally secured to the said receiving member, spring means carried by the said receiving member to throw the said arm into.locking position, a pivotally supported hook shaped member disposed for engagement With the said locking arm, the said hook shaped member adapted to be actuated through engagement with a mail bag for releasing the said arm and locking the mail bag upon the said receiving member and means for swinging the said receiving member into and out of operative position, as and for the Vpurpose set forth.

7 In a device of the character described, the combination of a base plate, a plate member detachably secured to the said base plate, a bracket formed integrally With the said plate member, an extension formed integrally with the said bracket, a mail bag receiving member pivotally secured to the said bracket and disposed for engagement with the said extension, s ring means carried by the said plate mem er to retain the said member in projected position, a keeper carried by the said extension, a latch rod engaging said keeper, spring means to maintain said rod in engagement with said keeper, and a lever pivoted to said rody and to said receiving member, the said leverlbeing operable through engagement with a mail bag, oi a locking arm ceiving mem er, spring means to throw the said arm into locking position, and a pivoted hook shaped member disposed for engagement with said arm, the said hookv shaped member adapted to be actuated through engagement with a mail bag, as and 'for the purpose set forth.

GUY R. HELTON. Witnesses:

J. E. PA'rrnRsoN, G. V. ELLIOTT.

Copies of lthis patent may be obtained for live cents euch, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

ivotall)r secured to the said re- 

